How many teachers out there use performance tasks in their classroom? Wouldn’t it be great if they were organized by grade level and by common core strand? Well, we have found a website from North Carolina Public Schools that has already done that!
Public Schools of North Carolina
Not sure what a performance task is? Performance tasks “are designed to reveal the extent to which a student knows and understands specific concepts. Moving beyond only whether an answer is right or wrong, the tasks focus attention on the thinking and processes that all students use in solving the tasks, with opportunities to demonstrate his or her knowledge, skill, and understanding.”
When selecting a task, consider the following:
- Designate a learning target. What skill or concept do you want students to know?
- Identify the student(s). Are you curious about all of the students, a handful of students, or one student in particular? Thinking about the student(s), what are you most interested in learning that is related to the learning target?
- Review and select the tasks. Locate tasks that are aligned with the learning target and address your questions about the student(s).
- Read the tasks carefully. Which tasks would best uncover student understanding for the particular learning target? Does it need to be a new task or one previously administered? Depending on the task and the learning target, the same task could be administered multiple times over the course of the year.
- Decide on an amount of tasks. To gain a more accurate view of student knowledge, one task may not be enough. Perhaps one task, along with classroom evidence, will provide an appropriate picture of the student’s understanding. Perhaps more than one task is needed.
- Decide how the tasks and materials will be presented. Will all students be assessed on a task at the same time? If so, what will students who finish earlier/later than others do as other students work? Will students move from one station to another? If so, what will they do if they have questions about the task? Will students need access to optional materials? If so, how will they be provided?
(Source: Public Schools of North Carolina website)
Look how easy this website makes implementing performance tasks with the common core!
All you have to do is click on the links on the left side of the page to select your grade…
http://3-5cctask.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/home
http://commoncoretasks.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Manual
Once you select your grade, you can then select what domain you are working on…
Then you can choose a task from one of the strands…
Click HERE for the k-2 website.
Click HERE for the 3-5 website.